First six bleeding control kits set up in Liverpool

Councillors, police and campaigners at the installation of the cabinets in Liverpool city centre

Six emergency bleeding control cabinets have been installed in Liverpool as part of a special new project.

The bright red cabinets have been put up in key locations across the city centre.

They are accessible at all times using a code which is provided by an ambulance 999 operator. They also contain a portable bleed kit.

It is part of a campaign to highlight the dangers of carrying a knife after the stabbing of schoolgirl Ava White.

The 12-year-old was murdered by a 14-year-old boy, who stabbed her in the neck, in a row over a Snapchat video.

Merseyside Police said four more bleed cabinets are set to be installed within weeks.

The first six have been put up in the Ropewalks and Mathew Street areas.

Two have already been put up near Formby beach and a further 20 are expected to be put up across Merseyside.

Police said the portable bleed kits are a "vital tool to prevent and reduce major blood loss before paramedics arrive".

Bleeding cabinets are accessible 24 hours-a-day through a code available via calling 999

More than 1,500 individual bleed kits have already been distributed to clubs, bars, pubs, taxis, and schools.

The roll out of the life-saving equipment has been spearheaded by charitable social enterprise KnifeSavers.

Founder and consultant trauma surgeon Nikhil Misra, said: "Whether it's a knife wound, or an injury from a fall or a car crash, every second counts when it comes to controlling the bleeding and hopefully saving someone's life."

Merseyside's Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said immediate emergency first aid for knife injuries was always "critical".

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